Neues und Altes aus der eigenen Sammlung
18.01. – 22.02.2004

Under the title Potpourri VI, the Kunstverein is offering a glimpse into its otherwise unseen collection for the sixth time since 1990. While five years initially passed between Potpourri I and Potpourri II, since 1997 the alternating exhibition program has included an annual Potpourri exhibition lasting several weeks or a one-day presentation of new acquisitions. This annual presentation of new additions documents an accelerated expansion of the collection since the mid-1990s. With the support of the city and a gratifying amount of donations, the association was able to record an influx of artworks unlike anything seen before in its history. In this respect, the Potpourri or new acquisitions exhibitions not only offer an insight into the diversity of the visual arts, but also document a growing civic engagement in Bremerhaven and the surrounding area.
Despite this positive development, the Kunstverein’s collection unfortunately cannot reflect the entire spectrum of artistic development. Limited funds and uncertainties regarding the rapid stylistic development of the visual arts have left gaps in the past. Even today, despite higher donations, it is rarely possible to acquire representative works by pioneering artists due to enormous price increases for top artists. This makes it all the more important for the Kunstverein to use its modest resources to create a collection that appeals even with few spectacular large exhibits and at the same time illustrates important developments in the visual arts.
With this intention in mind, the collection has been condensed into so-called collection focal points in recent years. The aim of these collection focal points is to reflect the zeitgeist of an era, the oeuvre of an artist, or the intention of a group of artists. This often did not require the purchase of expensive individual pieces. Rather, the illustration could often be achieved by purchasing less expensive prints or editions that would hardly be worthy of presentation in a permanent exhibition on their own. The constraints of a small budget have thus resulted in a varied picture of artworks of varying value, the liveliness and accessibility of which is unmatched in other institutions.
There are currently 33 of these collection focal points, corresponding to 33 possible exhibition rooms. This is too many to show everything at once in a permanent exhibition. However, a room-by-room presentation is not intended, although it is possible and worth considering in individual cases. The juxtaposition or contrast of different artistic positions, as the association has already tried out in its potpourri exhibitions, promises more excitement. Against this background, the current exhibition not only provides information on where the collection’s contents have been expanded through acquisitions in recent years, but also serves as a template for a possible exhibition concept. In terms of content, the exhibition offers visitors a reunion with familiar works as well as new directions. Among the familiar works are prints by Palermo, to whose work the Kunstverein dedicated a solo exhibition in early 2003. Two of the artist’s works were already in the collection. Four more have been added through purchases and donations. Prints and paintings were also purchased from artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Hamish Fulton, and Otto Modersohn. The collection now holds such an extensive range of works by each of these artists that only a selection can be presented in a potpourri exhibition. However, an early text work by Robert Barry has been newly added to the collection. It was purchased with the intention of placing greater emphasis on the art-historically significant phase of conceptual art, of which the Kunstverein already owned several works by representatives such as Hanne Darboven, On Kawara, and Lawrence Weiner.

Kai Kähler

Curated by Jürgen Wesseler.